Sunday, February 26, 2012

Why There Are Only Two Nominees for This Year's Best Original Song Oscar?

                      (Scott Feinberg, Hollywood Reporter, Feb 8, 2012)

Scott Feinberg answers the question that everyone has been asking since the Academy announced its nominations last month.


Last month, when the nominations were announced for the 84th Oscars, the most common reaction -- after "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close for best picture?!" -- was, "Why are there only two nominees for best original song?!" (For the record, they are "Man or Muppet" from The Muppets, music and lyrics by Flights of the Conchords' Bret McKenzie, and "Real in Rio" from Rio, music by piano maestro Sergio Mendes and Carlinhos Brown, lyrics by Siedah Garrett.)
Indeed, in the 76 years in which the best original song Oscar has been presented (it was introduced at the seventh Oscars), there have never been this few nominees in the category. For its first 11 years, any number of songs could be nominated, and as many as 14 were (at the 18th Oscars); ever since, though, the Academy has capped the category at five. Before the 45th Oscars, the Academy decided that, henceforth, in years in which “fewer than 20 qualified works” were submitted, there would be only three nominees (which is why there was that number at the 61st, 78th, and 81st Oscars), or, if there were fewer than four qualified submissions, no award would be presented at all.

Then, before the 82nd Oscars, the Academy did with the best original song category what they did with the best picture category before this year’s ceremony: facing accusations that they had been filling out the category with unworthy nominees, they raised the bar to make it harder to get nominated and no longer guaranteed any specific number. There can now be anywhere from two to five (there were four last year), or none at all, depending on how the 236 members of the Academy’s music branch score the submissions. They screen clips of each song in its respective film and assign them all a grade(from best to worst, 10, 9.5, 9, 8.5, 8, 7.5, 7, 6.5 or 6). If two or more songs score 8.25 or higher, then each of them -- or the five highest-scoring among them -- will be nominated. If only one meets that benchmark, then that and the next highest scorer will be nominated. And if no songs meet it, then no award will be presented at all.
This means that, of this year’s 39 approved submissions, no more than two songs -- and possibly as few as one -- scored 8.25 or higher. It means that songs by the likes of Mary J. Blige, Elton John, Lady Gaga, Chris Cornell, Sinead O’Connor, will.i.am, Pink, Brad Paisley, Robbie Williams, Zooey Deschanel, Zac Brown and even Academy favorite Alan Menken did not. (Blige Tweeted that it "feels like the Academy is being mean" to only nominate two when it could have nominated five). And, as even Bruce Broughton, the chair of the Academy’s music branch, has had to admit, it means that we can probably expect another change of the rules for the best original song category.

Friday, February 17, 2012

Confirmed- Chris Brown, Douchebag


Brown's Vegas Residency On Hold After 'Racist' Allegations Against Nightclub
(By Billboard magazine staff, 12 July 2016)

Chris Brown's Las Vegas residency at Drai's nightclub has been put on hold following his Instagram tirade against alleged "racist" employees.  The singer allegedly refused to apologize to the club's owner after calling the Sin City hot spot a "racist" venue, in a letter sent to Brown's attorney obtained by TMZIn a now-deleted Instagram post, Brown wrote, "(Empty) Drais has some people working for them that always are on a power trip. Some racist ----. I pack this club out every single time my name is on the flyer. I keep the lights on in this place. I ain't no slave or an employee of this establishment. So make sure you put some respek on my name!"
Drai's nightclub responded with the following statement to Billboard:

"As one of Las Vegas' leading nightclubs and the nation's preeminent hip hop performance venue, Drai's has always taken great pride in its relationships with our incredibly talented resident and guest artists, including a successful partnership with Chris Brown. However, recent events have raised concerns that will need to be addressed with Chris and his management before that relationship can continue to move forward. We have reached out accordingly and are waiting to hear back from his team. We remain open to sitting down with him to discuss the future."  Reps for Brown were not immediately available for comment.
Earlier this month, Brown reportedly rented a villa in Ibiza and was accused of trashing the house before the landlord had the police escort him out. He also allegedly had recent fallouts with his former publicist, Nicole Perna, and manager, Mike G

http://www.msn.com/en-us/music/news/chris-browns-las-vegas-residency-on-hold-following-racist-allegations-against-drais-nightclub/ar-BBudFsJ?li=AA2qN5v&ocid=spartandhp




Chris Brown Suspected Of Battery And Theft In Las Vegas
(By Natalie Stone, Hollywood Reporter, 2 January 2016)

Singer Chris Brown is a suspect in a case of misdemeanor battery and misdemeanor theft that allegedly occurred Saturday morning at the Palms Casino Resort, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department told The Hollywood Reporter in a statement.  At 10:20 a.m. on Saturday, police responded to a report of battery that occurred inside a Palms hotel suite. When police arrived, the female victim appeared to have minor injuries sustained as a result of battery.

Metro Police determined that the victim was attending a party inside a hotel room at the Palms hotel where an altercation took place over a cellphone. The victim alleges that she was battered by Brown when she took out her cellphone to take a picture of the singer, who then proceeded to take her phone from her. According to police, the victim was escorted out of the room by private security into the hallway, and proceeded to be escorted off the property by hotel security.

The victim later returned to the hotel and reported the incident to Palms' security. Though detectives attempted to contact Brown, they were not permitted entry into the room and later determined that he had left the room before the police arrived.  A representative for Brown said in a statement to THR that the "[victim's] statements are unequivocally untrue" and a possible motive for the accusation was retaliation since she had been removed from the private party due to her "disruptive and out of control" behavior. "Her claim that she had her phone in her possession inside the after party and was able to take a photo causing an altercation with Chris Brown is a complete fabrication," Brown's rep said in the statement. "This seems like a clear case of retaliation for her bruised ego."  A crime report has been taken for misdemeanor theft and misdemeanor battery, listing Brown as the suspect, and the investigation remains ongoing.  Brown is in Las Vegas for the New Year's weekend and performed Jan. 1 at Drai's Beach and Nightclub.




Brown Posts Caitlyn Jenner "Science Project" Meme; Kylie Jenner Responds
(By The Hollywood Reporter Staff, 05 June 2015)

Chris Brown posted a meme that many view as transphobic toward Caitlyn Jenner on his Instagram account.  Alongside a picture of Akon, the meme's caption reads:  "Shout out to Akon! He is about to supply 60 million africans with solar power. Im really upset that this isn't major news but that science project bruce jenner is #Society."  Snoop Dogg has posted the meme as well.

Kylie Jenner did not appreciate her parent being called a "science project," and commented on Brown's account. "Not very nice to say about your friends dad," wrote Kylie.  Kylie then tweeted, "State what you want about the world without bashing others. Leave a positive impact." 

Updated June 5 3:15 p.m. PT: Chris Brown has since deleted his Instagram post.




Is BET Considering A Chris Brown Reality Show? Please, God, No
(By Colin Stutz, Spin, 27 June 2014)
Sigh. We'll never be rid of this guy, will we? TMZ reports that BET is considering a reality show about violent R&B triple threat, Chris Brown. They cite multiple unnamed sources, saying the network has been holding focus groups — comprising entirely African American women, no less — to get a sense of whether or not viewers are interested in a program that would follow the dude once immortalized by Law & Order: SVU, chronicling his life after jail.
TMZ says the response has been split, but the majority would watch to see whether Brown will screw up again. They also claim BET is fully onboard and the only holdup is the "bad boy" himself, who has yet to sign a production company deal. For better or worse, it feels like both of the aforementioned scenarios are stone cold inevitabilities at this point. But will viewers stay loyal to this man?   Brown was released from prison earlier this month after serving three weeks of his 131-day sentence for violating his probation in an incident involving him and his bodyguard allegedly punching a man outside a Washington, D.C. hotel. The bodyguard was already found guilty in the case and Breezy recently rejected a plea deal that would keep him out of jail. Welcome to the Chris Brown show.
Chris Brown Arrested For Probation Violation
(By Associated Press on Mar 15, 2014)

Chris Brown was arrested Friday and will be held without bail on a warrant issued by probation officials in the latest legal entanglement for the R&B singer who has struggled to put his 2009 attack on Rihanna behind him.  The warrant was issued by the judge overseeing Brown’s case after he was informed Friday morning that the singer had been discharged from rehab “for failure to comply with rules and regulations of the program.” No further details were released, but more information will be presented to Superior Court Judge James R. Brandlin when Brown appears in his courtroom on Monday afternoon.

Sheriff’s officials said Brown was cooperative when he was arrested at a Malibu treatment facility where he had been staying and transported to a jail facility in downtown Los Angeles.  Brown had been ordered to remain in rehab for anger management treatment. A January letter from the facility stated that the singer was also being treated for bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder and past substance abuse.  An email sent to Brown’s attorney Mark Geragos was not immediately returned. A probation spokeswoman declined to comment on what prompted Brown’s arrest.

Brown’s probation for the Rihanna assault had been scheduled to end this year, but a judge revoked it last year after Brown was arrested on a misdemeanor assault charge in Washington, D.C. That case is pending.  Brandlin rejected a Los Angeles prosecutor’s request to send Brown to jail because of the Washington case, citing his progress in rehab. He has ordered Brown to stop smoking marijuana and take only prescribed medications; the singer has not failed any drug screenings since the order was made.  In addition to getting treatment, the singer remained under strict orders to complete 1,000 hours of community labor this year. A probation report dated Feb. 26 stated that Brown had completed 250 hours and that he was being cooperative with probation officials.

Brown’s attempts at treatment have not been without difficulties.  A rehab center where Brown was voluntarily staying reported to Brandlin that the singer threw a rock through his mother’s window during a joint counseling session in November. The judge then ordered Brown to remain in treatment for another three months and renewed that order at a hearing on Feb. 28.  A probation officer interviewed Brown for the February report, saying the singer was grateful to be in rehab and “looks forward to staying out of trouble.  He remains thankful to the court for the opportunity to find out and learn more about himself, his anger issues and the type of person he wants to become, which is a man who is able to better himself and be a positive role model,” the report states.



I can believe the bipolar diagnosis but what exactly gave him post-traumatic stress disorder?  It's more likely he inflicted PTSD on the other people that he beat up.  

Chris Brown Has PTSD, Bipolar Disorder, Rehab Says
(By Kevin Rutherford, Billboard, 01 March 2014)

Chris Brown has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder, a rehab facility has confirmed.  According to court documents obtained by E! News, the facility determined that the singer suffers from both ailments, which are the causes of his history of aggression.  "Mr. Brown will also require close supervision by his treating physician in order to ensure his bipolar mental health condition remains stable," a letter from the unnamed facility reads. "It is not uncommon for patients with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Bipolar II to use substances to self-medicate their biomedical mood swings and trauma triggers.  "Mr. Brown became aggressive and acted out physically due to his untreated mental health disorder, severe sleep deprivation, inappropriate self-medicating and untreated PTSD."

However, representatives at the rehab facility added that Brown has been "beyond exemplary" in performing his community service requirements, while Superior Court Judge James Brandlin noted that Brown "has responded well to the dual diagnosis treatment."  The singer was in court on Friday, Feb. 28 for a progress hearing in his 2009 assault case against Rihanna, MTV reports.  "Never really goes the way u plan. #LIFE," the singer tweeted Friday.

In addition to the Rihanna case, Brown has also faced trouble in the past few years for throwing a brick through his mother's car's window, allegedly assaulting a man in Washington, D.C., and allegedly partaking in a brawl with Drake at a New York nightclub.  X, Brown's sixth album, is scheduled for a May 5 release.


Lawsuit Claims Chris Brown Beat Up Guy Over Basketball Foul
(By Chris Martins, Rolling Stone, February 14 2014)

And now Chris Brown is beating people up on basketball courts and claiming to a Blood, allegedly. A man named Malcolm Ausbon filed a lawsuit with the Superior Court of California in Los Angeles on Thursday, February 13, describing an incident with the R&B star at an area 24 Hour Fitness. He says he called a foul on Brown, that Brown then held onto the ball in protest and threatened to "put these hands on you" while declaring his rumored allegiance to the Bloods.
The complaint then states that three members of Brown's entourage who were not in "proper workout attire" rushed him. One told him, "If you fuck with Chris, you fuck with us." And after the game resumed, they ran back onto the court and attacked along with Brown. All four "began to strike, punch, kick, pull, and stomp Ausbon's head and body." They then left him on the ground, according to the report, and he was shortly sent to the emergency room.
Ausbon is suing not only Brown and his alleged goons, but the gym as well, claiming both negligence and vicarious liability for the physical and emotional damage done. If deemed legitimate, the supposed injury to the plaintiff's "face, head, neck, back, legs, [and] ribs," plus the "post traumatic stress disorder, dizziness, nervousness, embarrassment, fear, and anxiety," will be more damage in a wake of assault cases that's getting difficult to keep track of.



I know it is hard to believe but Chris Brown has been arrested again.  Apparently, he took a dislike to someone who tried to photobomb a selfie a fan of his was taking with the singer.  (Yes, there are people who consider themselves as fans of the douchebag singer.)  We all know the appropriate response to a photobomb is a physical assault, right?  It's not like there is a delete button on the camera.  If anyone deserves to have a causal relationship between the monetary reward for their work and their public behavior, it should be Chris Brown.  Forget Orson Scott Card, Chris Brown is the truly reprehensible one.


Chris Brown Arrested For Felony Assault In Washington, D.C.
(By Nicole Sia, Spin magazine, 27 October 2013)

Chris Brown was reportedly arrested and charged with felony assault early Sunday morning (October 27) in Washington D.C. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Brown was in a fight with another adult male who sustained injuries. ABC News alleges that Brown, 24, punched the man in the face outside of the W Hotel in downtown D.C.  The embattled R&B singer, one of SPIN's 2012 Hall of Shame inductees, performed at local nightclub The Park with August Alsina earlier in the evening. He is, of course, no stranger to controversy, specifically when it involves assault. In January, Brown and his entourage were involved in a parking lot brawl with Frank Ocean, in which homophobic slurs were reportedly leveled at the channel ORANGE singer. A $16 million lawsuit filed over Brown's now-infamous 2012 New York City nightclub brawl with Drake was thrown out in July after a judge essentially ruled that "shit happens." There was also that incident with Rihanna, which led to an awful tattoo and an equally awful episode of Law & Order.

Most recently, Brown beat the wrap (no pun intended) in a May hit-and-run case, but was sentenced to an additional 1,000 hours community service and had his probation reinstated for falsifying reports that he'd completed the community service in the first place. He briefly served 45 minutes of jail time.  It may be time for the man, who once declared that he "deserves respect," to make good on those retirement claims.




More Details On Chris Brown’s Arrest; Court Date Set For Monday
By The Reliable Source, Washington Post, 27 October 2013)

On Friday, Chris Brown tweeted: “When u lose something let GOD handle it. . .He Probably has something better planned.”  He can only hope: Brown lost his freedom early Sunday morning, when he was arrested on felony assault charges after allegedly punching a man in front of D.C.’s W Hotel. The 24-year-old singer remains in a jail cell in the Metropolitan Police Department’s 2nd District precinct, and will appear in court Monday.  Which could be a bad day for Brown, who’s still on probation for hitting then-girlfriend Rihanna in 2009.

Brown was in Washington for an appearance Saturday night at the Park nightclub on 14th St. N.W., one of many unofficial parties celebrating Howard University’s Homecoming weekend. Park owner Marc Barnes said Brown was at the club until 2:30 a.m. Sunday and “everything was fine when he was here.  But two hours later, following an after-party that the singer attended, things seem to have turned ugly.Brown and friend/bodyguard Christopher Hollosy, 35, got into a “physical altercation” with the unidentified man around 4:30 a.m. in front of the hotel, reports our colleague Ann Marimow. The alleged victim was taken to a nearby hospital and later released.

What actually went down is unclear. TMZ reports that two women approached Brown and asked for a photo with him; at the last second, two men jumped into the shot. The singer took offense, allegedly telling one of the men, “I’m not into this gay s—, I’m into boxing” before throwing a punch. The man told TMZ his nose was broken and may require surgery.  A person close to Brown’s camp disputes that account, telling the Post that the picture story is “nonsense” and that the incident started after the man tried to follow the two women onto Brown’s tour bus, leading to an altercation. “That’s what started this,” said the person, who would speak only on condition of anonymity because the investigation is continuing.  D.C. police said there were no weapons involved. The hotel released a statement Sunday saying it was “aware of an incident outside the hotel last night. The hotel was not involved. . .We are unable to provide any further information at this time.”

We don’t know how this will play out in court, but it probably isn’t good, given Brown’s repeated run-ins with the law and his apparent dismissal of the legal process.  There’s his infamous assault on Rihanna the night before the Grammys four years ago, which led to a sentence of 180 days of community service, completion of a year-long domestic violence program, and five years of probation.  Brown was assigned to menial tasks — picking up garbage, scrubbing graffiti — in his native Virginia but police records credited him with work he couldn’t have done because he wasn’t in the Richmond area at the time. L.A. prosecutors went to court, claiming that they could find no evidence that Brown ever finished his required hours, and a judge gave the pop star a do-over of 1,000 hours to avoid going to jail or revoking his probation.  Brown was less than appreciative.  “That’s not a compromise!” he told the Guardian in an interview earlier this month. “Community service, that s— is a b—. . .For me, I think it’s more of a power trip for the DA. I can speak freely now, because I don’t really care what they say about it but as far as, like, the 1,000 extra hours they gave me, that’s totally fricking bananas.” 

He also addressed a June 2012 bar fight in New York City which devolved into a bottle-throwing brawl with hip-hop star Drake, and a run-in in February with R&B star Frank Ocean over a L.A. parking spot. Both times, said Brown, he was acting in self-defense.  “People think I just walk around as the aggressor, this mad black guy, this angry, young, troubled kid, but I’m not. I’m more and more laid-back. It’s just that people know if they push a button, it’ll make more news than their music. Attaching themselves to me, good or bad, will benefit them.”

UPDATE: Our colleague Keith Alexander reports that visitors in the courthouse are lining up in front of Courtroom C-10 on Monday afternoon. Onlookers are taking pictures of the lockup list posted on the wall outside the courtroom. The list shows Brown’s name, his lockup number, his charge (assault with significant bodily injury) and his attorney’s name.






A Chris Brown Explainer
(By Mark Berman, Washington Post, 28 October 28, 2013)
 n’s arrest in D.C. brought all of these microphones and a lot of attention to the D.C. Superior Court.  (Mark Gail/The Washington Post)
The singer Chris Brown was arrested over the weekend in Washington for felony assault. Many people know who Chris Brown is and are following this news. Other people, though, may not know who he is or why anybody would care. For people in the latter category, we bring you this simple explainer.

Who is Chris Brown?
Chris Brown is a Grammy Award-winning rhythm-and-blues singer with a well-documented history that includes assault, public outbursts and varied other legal issues. If you don’t pay much attention to pop music, your only exposure to his music may stem from that viral wedding video that came out a few years back (featuring his song “Forever”).

Why do we care about him right now?
Because Brown’s arrest sparked a media furor in Washington, drawing throngs of cameras and reporters to D.C. Superior Court:

Is this Chris Brown’s first run-in with the law?
Definitely not.

Can you outline this history?
I can try: Brown assaulted his then-girlfriend Rihanna in 2009, pleading guilty to the assault in exchange for five years of probation and six months of community service. (A probation officer reported that year that there had been two unreported violent situations before the highly publicized attack, which occurred on the eve of the 2009 Grammy Awards.)

How did he behave after this?
He expressed remorse in 2009, but he bristled in 2011 when the subject came up during an appearance on “Good Morning America.” After being asked about the assault, he reacted by allegedly storming off and trashing his dressing room.

And have there been any incidents since that time?
Last year, a brawl between Brown and Drake (and their entourages) — which involved thrown bottles and an injury to NBA star Tony Parker, somehow — erupted at a club in SoHo. And last year, he lashed out at the comedian Jenny Johnson on Twitter after she mocked him (the entire thing involved language we can’t possibly reprint here, but the end result was that she received many threats from Brown’s fans and he briefly deleted his Twitter account).

This year, Brown and singer Frank Ocean (and, again, their entourages) reportedly had a run-in outside of a studio in Los Angeles; Brown was later sued by a cousin of Ocean’s. Also this year: He was briefly jailed after a hit-and-run in May.
Okay, and — 

There were also allegations that he pushed a woman in an Anaheim nightclub this summer, but he wasn’t charged.
Does Chris Brown have a local connection, other than getting arrested in Washington over the weekend?

He does! He is from Virginia.
Is there any vaguely local connection to the community service he agreed to do as part of his guilty plea in 2009?

There is! He was supposed to complete this community service in Virginia, with his hours verified by police in Richmond. A prosecutor in Los Angeles questioned whether he actually completed these hours. (The Richmond police chief later resigned.) He was ordered this year to complete 1,000 hours of labor.
So after all that, have Brown’s fans abandoned him?

Not quite. His fans are very vocal online (under the banner of “Team Breezy”), and as these images showed they even turned up at his court hearing in Washington on Monday



Brown's Sentence For Failing To Do Community Service: More Community Service
Marc Hogan, Spin Magazine, August 16 2013

Too bad for Chris Brown the phrase "double jeopardy" has a pretty specific legal meaning. Earlier this week, a Los Angeles judge dismissed a hit-and-run case that could have sent the 24-year-old singer to jail. But there was still the little matter of whether Brown might have violated his probation by failing to complete community service related to his 2009 assault against Rihanna.
According to TMZ, a judge today sentenced Brown to an additional 1,000 hours of community service after prosecutors accused him of falsely reporting that he completed his past sentence in his home state of Virginia. Brown's probation, which he lost amid the hit-and-run case, will be reinstated. But this time Brown will have to perform his community service under the watchful eye of Los Angeles county authorities. Among his choices for penance duties are roadside cleanup and graffiti removal.
Brown actually spent about 45 minutes in jail earlier this month in connection with the hit-and-run case. He then tweeted that his August 20 album X would "probably" be his last, though he later deleted the relevant tweets. Since then, he also reportedly suffered a seizure. Meanwhile, his dustup with Frank Ocean has led to a civil lawsuit and what appears to be a dis verse on an Earl Sweatshirt track.

Chris Brown Accused Of Allegedly Assaulting Woman In Nightclub
(By Huffington Post, 24 June 2013)
A 24-year-old woman is accusing singer Chris Brown of allegedly assaulting her on Saturday after his show in an Orange County nightclub.  The woman, Deanna Gines, says as the Heat Ultra Lounge was closing, Brown reportedly knocked her to the ground, badly injuring her knee. According to Gines, doctors have told her there are torn ligaments in her knee and that she may need to have an operation.  Though nothing has yet been substantiated, Brown has had a string of assault accusations and unfortunate club encounters which don't help the singer's situation.  In January, Brown, 24, had an altercation with Frank Ocean which has yet to be put to rest completely. In March, Brown and his crew were reportedly involved in a bottle-smashing brawl with Drake and his crew. Not to mention the most obvious, his now infamous 2009 incident with singer and then-girlfriend Rihanna.  Chris Brown's rep has yet to respond to the allegations.


Another month, another Chris Brown melt-down about nothing.  He didn’t want to pay the $10 valet fee that everyone else has to pay.  Apparently he is too special to be expected to tip someone for their work. Besides the matter of the fee, Brown also made threatening remarks towards the valet attendant and pitched his hissy-fit at a charitable event, totally missing the point of the evening.  A radio talk show was saying that Brown’s valet parking should have been comped by the bowling alley holding the event.  That depends on a couple of things- does the venue own the parking concession or is it an outside contractor that is handling it?  If it isn’t their own parking service, they can’t waive the fee because the valets have to be paid somehow.  Maybe the bowling alley could pay the fees on behalf of the attendees but then that means there is $10 less in funds going to the charity because I’m sure they would expense that comp toward the costs of holding the event.  So either Chris Brown wants to screw the venue or screw the charitable cause because he doesn’t want to pay $10 out of his own multi-millionaire pocket.  Either way, it just proves he’s still a douchebag.

Chris Brown Explodes: Singer Furious With Valet Over $10 Parking Fee
(Huffington Post, 07 March 2013)

Something as small as a $10 surcharge is apparently enough to set Chris Brown off.  On Wednesday night at Los Angeles' PINZ bowling alley, Brown exploded on a parking attendant over a $10 valet charge, according to TMZ. The 23-year-old, who had been at the venue for a charity event, was furious he had to pay the fee.  "F*ck ten dollars," the singer said, TMZ reported. He was allegedly angry because he had only been inside for 30 minutes and didn't think he should pay. After threatening to "turn this whole thing on out," he got his keys and drove away. It is unclear whether he paid the $10 or not. According to PINZ's Facebook page, the bowling alley was hosting a "Stars and Strikes" celebrity bowling and poker event on behalf of the youth-centered charity, A Place Called Home. The Wanted, Pete Wentz, Patrick Stump, Nick Cannon and will.i.am were all expected to be in attendance. Brown was not featured on the billing.  It is surprising that Brown would get so heated over $10.  InTouch magazine reports the "Don't Judge Me" singer just dropped $65,000 on a pair of Neil Lane chandelier earrings for his girlfriend Rihanna's birthday.

Maybe he was having a bad day?  Earlier Wednesday afternoon, Brown reportedly had an "altercation" with his bodyguard, Big Pat, according to The Bermuda Sun. When the private plane carrying Brown and his entourage stopped in Bermuda to re-fuel, Big Pat was allegedly kicked off and forced to take a Jet Blue flight to JFK.

Not so surprisingly, I need to update my post about Chris Brown being a douchebag.  He’s gone and done something stupid, insensitive and douchebag-gy yet again.  I mean recently- since his Grammy tweets, neck tattoo and other various “mistakes”.  This week he broke out one of the most knuckle-headed, hate-baiting costumes I’ve seen in a while.  I wonder what is next on tap for this paragon of good judgment? 
Two month later, I have my answer and it is: Beat up a gay guy because you want his parking space.  Outside a club, Chris Brown decided he wanted the parking spot that fellow musician Frank Ocean had.  Solution- Brown and his posse beats up Ocean.  I am so glad that Frank Ocean is pressing charges.  I might even go buy his album now as a result of him standing up to Douchebag Brown.  I'm still not-so-secretly hoping that someone beats the crap out of Brown so he can cry about it and no one will give him an ounce of sympathy.


Frank Ocean Wants To Press Charges Against Chris Brown After Brawl
(By Richard Johnson, New York Post, January 28, 2013)


R&B singer Frank Ocean intends to press charges against bully boy Chris Brown for punching him and starting an all-out brawl outside Westlake Studios in West Hollywood on Sunday night.  Police want to talk to Brown, who is still on probation for beating up Rihanna on the eve of the 2009 Grammy Awards.  Ocean, who publically came out in July as a bisexual, is “desirous of prosecution,” L.A. Sheriff’s Office spokesman Steve Whitmore told The Post. “We’ll find out what happened.”
The fight over a parking space reportedly involved six men. Ocean tweeted: “got jumped by chris and a couple guys. Lol. I only wish everest was there.” Everest is his dog.  He later added: “cut my finger now I can’t play w two hands at the grammys.”  The violence is expected to put the kibosh on Brown’s plans to perform with Rihanna at the Grammys on Feb. 10 at the Staples Center.
Rihanna’s advisors have tried in vain to keep her away from Brown and fear her relationship with the hot-tempered singer-dancer will hurt her fragrance and fashion ventures, if not her album and concert sales.  The Barbadian beauty included Brown on two cuts of her latest album, but sources said she’s not planning on singing either of those songs at the Grammys.  Brown, who is on probation until August 2014, also got into a brawl last summer at a Manhattan nightclub with rapper Drake, who had been hooking up with Rihanna. No charges were brought in that incident.



Chris Brown Trolls The World With Terrorist Halloween Costume
(By Christopher R. Weingarten, 1 November 2012)

Unscrupulous contemporary totem of douchebaggery and occassional pop singer Chris Brown has somehow discovered yet another icky fashion choice to put in his closet next to his OOPS! chain and his tattoo that looks creepily like his battered ex-girlfriend. Never afraid to venture into new frontiers of insensitivity, Chris Brown attempted the modern classic of idiot fratboys everywhere: the racist Halloween costume!

Looks like Chris and the rest of Team Breezy decided to show up at Rihanna's Halloween party (disturbia!) dressed as Middle Eastern terrorists...or, possibly, the world's worst ZZ Top cover band. Kudos, Breezy, on reducing an entire group of people to your shitty preconcieved notions and stereotypes — we'll be sure to look the other way next time someone calls you a "rapper" instead of "singer."  Extra bonus das racism points to Perez Hilton who brought the story to our attention but still managed to throw around the word "Arab" in his single paragraph of manufactured outrage! Oh and also, Rihanna dressed as the Bride of Marijuana. Good work, all around.

http://www.spin.com/#articles/chris-brown-rihanna-terrorist-halloween-costume?utm_source=spinfacebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=spinfacebook



In case you didn't already think Chris Brown was a douchebag, his Grammy appearance and subsequent comments on Twitter should convince you otherwise.

Chris Brown Does Not Care If You Hate Him, Because He Now Has A Grammy
(By Jen Chaney, Washington Post, February 15, 2012)

Chris Brown understands that his appearance at Sunday’s Grammy Awards was polarizing, given the fact that it came just three years after his assault of Rihanna during Grammy weekend 2009.  Which is why he responded on Twitter to his recent first-ever Grammy win with such humility and grace.  “HATE ALL U WANT BECUZ I GOT A GRAMMY Now!” he wrote yesterday afternoon, as noted by Mashable. “That’s the ultimate [BLEEP] OFF!” 
The tweet was later deleted from Brown’s account, though it lives on in this publicly viewable tweet graveyard, along with a couple of other gems that also disappeared from Brown’s feed.  “I’m so OVER everyone’s opinions.. Really!!!,” he also said on the social media site yesterday, along with “HAPPY VALENTINES DAY ladies... Let today be about u!!! Love you.”

Does this mean we should expect Brown to start outsourcing his tweets to a professional crew, a la Ashton Kutcher? Or maybe he’s just decided to stick to a more limited script. His most recent tweets are links to his new video and his latest single, “Turn Up the Music,” on iTunes.  Feel free to take this opportunity to post a comment about whether Brown should keep his mouth shut or whether it’s time to forgive him for his past sins, a debate that I expect will continue from now until 2017 at least.
The decision to allow the artist to perform twice despite the fact that he pleaded guilty to assault angered and confused many fans, says Sarah Anne Hughes of Celebritology:  “While the reception to Brown in the Staples Center was warm, there was a strong backlash on Twitter against his presence.  Shortly after Brown performed for the first time, the term “WomanBeater” began trending. The hashtag was used both by his critics and by Team Breezy members, who seem used to doing battle for their idol. The police report from the assault — which details the violent attack that led to Brown’s conviction for felony assault — also began making the rounds on Twitter, as did Buzzfeed’s compilation  of 25 troubling reactions to his performance. 

Writers and critics expressed discontent following the announcement of Brown’s participation in the event. Grammy executive producer, Ken Ehrlich, anticipating the backlash, made a statement justifying the controversial artist’s inclusion in the show:  “I think people deserve a second chance, you know. If you’ll note, he has not been on the Grammys for the past few years, and it may have taken us a while to kind of get over the fact that we were the victim of what happened.”
Valerie Strauss of The Answer Sheet said it is fair for fans to ask the 2012 Grammy producers why they thought it was a good message to send to young people: “The people behind the Grammys made a point of saying at the show that the Grammy Foundation donates millions of dollars to public schools to help them fund music education programs. There is an annual competition in which schools can apply to become a winner, eligible to receive grants of between $1,000 and $10,000 each.  If the Grammys wants to be seen as doing good for public schoolchildren, the organization ought to think about the messages it sends. The last thing young people need to see is an organization that represents the music they love give an early pass to a man convicted of felony assault — and one who didn’t think it necessary to ask for forgiveness from his community when he accepted an award he won Sunday night.”

Likewise, Post critic Chris Richards questioned Brown’s apology-free acceptance speech:  “Brown hopped up and down a terraced stage like a pop-locking Q*bert, trying to dance his way to America’s forgiveness. He was arrested for assaulting his then-girlfriend Rihanna on the eve of the 2009 Grammys, but his acceptance speech after winning best R&B album included no act of contrition. When Chris Brown is getting more airtime than Whitney Houston, there’s a serious problem.”
Fellow Grammy-award winner Miranda Lambert let made her disapproval of Brown’s performances and win known via Twitter, the Associated Press reports.  She tweeted on Monday: “He beat on a girl...not cool that we act like that didn’t happen.”  Lambert suggested Brown listen to her song “Gunpowder & Lead” about avenging domestic violence and “be put back in his place. Not at the Grammys.”  

The Miranda Lambert/Chris Brown Feud Continues

It all began on Monday, the day after the Grammys, when Miranda sent out tweets questioning Brown’s presence at the ceremony, since his 2009 assault of then-girlfriend Rihanna.  Lambert tweeted to her more than 600,000 followers:  “How dang long did they give Nicki Minaj to do whatever that was? Strange. And Chris Brown twice? I don’t get it. He beat on a girl…”
 Brown performed twice at the awards show and picked up a Grammy for best R&B album.  He fired back on Twitter saying, “HATE ALL U WANT BECUZ I GOT A GRAMMY Now! That’s the ultimate F— OFF!”  But the tweet was soon deleted, and replaced with, “I’M BACK SO WATCH MY BaCK as I walk away from all this negativity #teambreezygrammy,”  which now has also been deleted. 

Lambert then took to the social media site again to respond to his tweets.  “You’ve got to stand for something or you’ll fall for anything” and “Oh and  one more thing for all who are asking….I have a Grammy too ”